1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a movable louver window, in which a plurality of double-vane assemblies are mounted within a frame body in vertically pivotable fashion.
2. Description of the Related Art
One example of the movable louver window has been disclosed in Japanese Examined Utility Model Publication (Kokoku) No. Hei 1-39288.
In the disclosed construction, a square or rectangular frame body is formed with an upper frame member, a lower frame member and left and right vertical frame members. A pair of louver vanes are coupled by a pair of clips, each having a pivoting arm, in such manner that the louver vanes are parallel to each other having a space therebetween and are positioned on different elevation from each other, so as to form a double-vane assembly. The double-vane assembly is connected through the clips to left and right vertical frame members in vertically pivotable fashion. Thus, a plurality of double-vane assemblies are mounted within the frame body in vertically pivotable fashion. An interior side upper horizontal seal member and an exterior side upper horizontal seal member are fixed to the upper frame member for establishing sealing between the upper frame member and each of interior side and exterior side louver vanes of the uppermost double-vane assembly. An interior side lower horizontal seal member and an exterior side lower horizontal seal member are fixed to the lower frame member for establishing sealing between the lower frame member and each one of interior side and exterior side louver vanes of the lowermost double-vane assembly. Further, interior side vertical seal member and exterior side vertical seal member are fixed to each of the vertical frame member for establishing sealing between each of the vertical frame members and double-vane assemblies.
In the movable louver window constructed as set forth above, when the movable louver window is closed, a plurality of interior side louver vanes form a continuous wall and a plurality of exterior side louver vanes form another continuous wall and an air layer is formed between those continuous walls. Therefore, the movable louver window constructed as set forth above has high heat insulation ability.
In such movable louver window, the interior side and exterior side upper horizontal seal members are directed toward the interior side, while the interior side and the exterior side lower horizontal seal members are directed toward the exterior side. Further, when the movable louver window is closed, each of louver vanes is slightly oblique with respect to the vertical. Therefore, the interior side and exterior side upper horizontal seal members and the interior side and exterior side lower horizontal seal members are different in position in the depth direction of the frame body.
Therefore, the interior side upper horizontal seal member and the interior side lower horizontal seal member cannot be continuously connected through the interior side vertical seal members, and the exterior side upper horizontal seal member and the exterior side lower horizontal seal member cannot be continuously connected through the exterior side vertical seal members. This results in degradation of watertightness between the frame body and the double-vane assemblies, and rain water may penetrate into the interior side across the double-vane assemblies.
There is also a drawback that once the rain water penetrates into the inside of the frame body, the rain water may accumulate on the lower frame member and may flow toward the interior side in the case of rainstorm and so forth.
Further, in such movable louver window, the frame body on which double-vane assemblies are to be mounted requires to have a depth dimension sufficient to ensure that each of pivoting arms for vertically pivoting double-vane assemblies does not interfere with a fitment such as a net and so forth mounted on the interior side surface of the frame body even when the movable louver window is fully open and an interior side end portion of the pivoting arm projects toward the interior side maximally. In case a pivoting center of each of the double-vane assemblies is placed at a position between a pair of louver vanes, therefore in the exterior side portion of the pivoting arm as in the related art set forth above, a radius of an arc which an interior side end portion of the pivoting arm describes when the movable louver window is opened and closed is relatively large, so that the pivoting arm projects toward the interior side deeply, and therefore the frame body requires to have a large depth dimension. If the pivoting center of the double-vane assembly can be placed substantially at the center of the pivoting arm, a radius of an arc which the interior side end portion of the pivoting arm describes is reduced, so that the pivoting arm projects toward the interior side less deeply, and therefore the depth dimension of the frame body can be reduced. However, in this case, at least a radius of an arc which an upper end portion of an exterior side louver vane describes is enlarged, so that a lower end portion of an interior side louver vane of an upper double-vane assembly may interfere with an upper end portion of an exterior side louver vane of an vertically adjacent lower double-vane assembly so that pivoting movement is hindered.